Punk Music Subgenres

Punk subgenres are very versatile today, descending from a musical current that was loud, political and anarchical. Contemporary punk is not just about Sex Pistols and the Ramones. Modern punk bands have developed different sounds with the help of different influences, but they have kept the punk ideology alive.

A punk subgenre called Anarchy punk was founded by the Sex Pistols and their first song entitled 'Anarchy in the UK'. This single will give birth to a musical current that will develop into an individual genre with a common feature: lyrics about anarchy. Anarchy punk is deeply political motivated and it focuses on themes related to animal rights, human rights, anti-government and anti-establishment ideas. Some anarchic bands like Crass promote political change through peaceful methods, but other anarchic punk bands think that change should be accomplished by any means necessary, including violence.

Another punk subgenre is Celtic punk, which is basically punk rock music with heavy Irish influences. Celtic punk bands appeared in London, in the mid ‘80s, with the goal of reclaiming their Irish heritage. The Pogues are seen as the creators of this musical current.

Emo and cowpunk are two punk subgenres that still experiment when it comes to truly defining their musical sound. Cowpunk is a mix of punk music and country music. It is more melodic than pure country music with a harder edge brought by the punk influences. On the other hand, emo music or emotional hardcore was first played in the 1980’s when bands wanted to break free from the constraints of straight hardcore music and add a little feeling to their songs. Emo punk lyrics are often emotional and introspective, while the sound is more melodic. Gypsy punk or immigrant punk is a punk current with roots in the Eastern Europe. The idea of gypsy punk was made popular by Gogol Bordello.